Please Mr Creech Ban Ecstasy Cigarettes!

The Christian Heritage Party Health spokesperson, Gael
Donoghue, is asking Mr Wyatt Creech Health Minister to ban
the importation of the herbal Ecstasy cigarettes currently
available in Australia, Many New Zealand parents are
concerned that they may be marketed here, and are alarmed
when they are told there is no legislation to prevent
this.

Mrs Donoghue said, “We believe that the marketing
sends the message that the cigarettes contain herbs that
smell and taste like cannabis. To titillate the young with
this message and then to name the cigarettes Ecstasy, which
is currently the ‘party drug of choice’ is totally
unacceptable, given the awful track record of both illegal
drugs on the lives of young people indulging in the drug
scene.

“In a recent Auckland survey of 5000 young people
it was revealed by the University Alcohol and Public Health
Research Unit that there was an increase in the use of
marijuana as a ‘recreational drug’. Also that the use of
ecstasy, an hallucinogenic stimulant which can cause death
quickly because it stops the normal processing of fluids in
the body, has doubled. The Customs services in Wellington
seized 9000 ecstasy tablets in May and June this year. The
dealers are after our young people’s health, no question.
Now we are witnessing a ‘pretend’ way of capturing them at a
younger age with these herbal cigarettes – as well as trying
to hook them into the smoking habit,” she said.

“The
Christian Heritage Party calls on the Health Minister to
find a legislative way to ban these cigarettes. Of course
it can be done when there is a will. Witness the immediate
ability of this parliament to legislate in hours when it
felt threatened by a boat load of refugees purported to be
making for our shores!” said Mrs Donoghue. “New Zealand
statistics are so bad now in the drink/drug teen scene, why
add to the problem?” she
asked.

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